‘The Vampire Diaries’ Season 4 Episode 1 Spoilers: Steamy Damon Elena Flashbacks And An Explosive Ending For Premiere, ‘Growing Pains’

It's back! "The Vampire Diaries" returned for its fourth season tonight and boy was it bloody! So, what happened in the season four premiere, "Growing Pains?"

Different Views

As always, Damon and Stefan are at odds...over Elena. Finally awakening after the accident, Elena is totally unaware that she is transitioning into a vampire. While Stefan tries to gently break the news to her, encouraging her to believe in a possible way out of the situation, Damon is straight to the point. Elena needs to not hope for something that has not happened in the history of vampirism and just feed. As expected though, Elena does not take the news of her new eternal life well. "I was ready to go," she cries out emotionally. "I was supposed to die. I don't want to be a vampire."

Although Stefan is more optimistic than Damon about Elena, the brothers can both agree on one thing -- She was not supposed to die. Stefan may be using the argument with Damon that he was abiding by Elena's wishes, he does acknowledge that he regrets his decision. 

The Council Acts

Alaric's last evil act was informing the Mystic Falls council who the vampire and vampire supporters were. Now, the council is breaking into action. A group headed by newcomer Pastor Young threatens Dr. Fell's license, arrests Sheriff Lockwood and Sheriff Forbes, drugs Caroline and takes Rebekah, Stefan and Elena into custody.

The council transport Rebekah and Caroline in the same vehicle, but a car accident at the hands of Klaus (in Tyler's body) allows Caroline to escape...and Rebekah to remain in custody. Poor Caroline, who thought that Tyler was dead, is overjoyed by seeing her beau...but unfortunately is unaware that he is being inhabited by Klaus. A steamy hookup ensues, but a slip of the tongue throws Caroline's clothes back on as she realizes that she doesn't completely have Tyler back.

Meanwhile Pastor Young's crew bring Stefan, Elena and Rebekah to a barn where they are all locked up. The council's plan is to lure Damon to the barn to rescue Stefan and Elena, and get the rest of the original vampire family back in town with Rebekah. What the council doesn't know is that Elena is slowly dying (again) because she had yet to feed.

Family Problems

Unaware that his sister and Stefan have been taken by the council, Jeremy is working with Bonnie to get a cure for Elena. Bonnie only sees one option though...killing herself and coming back from the other side with Elena. Although hesitant at first, Jeremy allows Bonnie to go through with the magic, but someone on the other side doesn't let her complete the spell. Dying and on the other side, Bonnie finds Elena locked up at Pastor Young's. Trying to bring her back, Bonnie stopped by the spirit of her grandmother. Gran refuses to let Bonnie bring back Elena, warning her to stay away from dark magic or it will unleash anger upon her. 

Coming back from the other side without Elena, a weak Bonnie is confronted by Klaus who threatens to kill Tyler's body if she doesn't put him back in his body. Ignoring her gran's warning to save Tyler, Bonnie once again uses dark magic to switch their bodies, but it comes with a consequence -- hurting gran with the dark magic.

Elena's Transition

Locked up and quickly dying, "Vampire Diaries" fans will have tears welling up when they see the sweet exchange between Elena and Stefan. Although she remembers all the times that Damon used compulsion on her to forget things, she can't deny her feelings for Stefan. Getting shot twice to try to get Elena help, Stefan finally learns the truth about the night she died.

"Do you even know why I was on the bridge?" Elena asks Stefan. "I was coming back for you. I had to choose and I picked you because I love you." 

If that didn't have the tears flowing from audiences, the next thing Elena said definitely did: "No matter what happens it was the best choice I ever made."

The always cold Rebekah even gets a soft spot for the two, and hatches a plan to get Elena the blood she needs to survive. Rebekah scares a council member so that he backs up to Stefan's cage where Stefan takes the opportunity to slam his head against the bars until the blood starts to flow towards Elena's cage. With one lick of the blood Elena is the latest vampire to call mystic Falls home.

Moving Forward

Elena completed her transformation just in time, not just because of her life though...but Matt's. Damon gets Pastor Young's threat and shows up at the barn. Although initially using Matt as a bait for the council, Damon quickly starts taking out his anger over Elena's death on him. While Matt is ready to be killed because of his grief over Elena, new vampire Elena stops Damon from hurting Matt anymore. 

While Matt gets Stefan out (along with getting a lecture about living his life), Elena finally gets to talk to Damon about her memories. The newly freed Rebekah also has a couple recent memories that she would like to discuss with Klaus...like him saving Caroline over her. Hurt over his selfish ways, Rebekah destroys the last two bags of Elena's blood, causing Klaus to snap her neck and disown her.

With everyone who was previously in the possession of the council finally free, it seems like the Mystic Falls gang will have a happy ending for now. The same can't be said for Pastor Young, who locks his followers in his house and blows them up after telling them, "Friends we are the beginning."

What did you think of the season four premiere of "The Vampire Diaries?"